This invention relates to an electrical harness interface system, and, more particularly, to such an harness interface system in which removable electronic modules carried thereon may be removed and replaced with another electronic module having a different electronic logic or function and requiring a different electrical hookup to other modules in the system or to the input/output terminal of the system without the necessity of removing the electrical harness from its application.
In certain avionic and aircraft electronic control systems, an electrical harness is provided in the aircraft for interconnecting various electronic components or for connecting the electronics to suitable controls and readout devices in the cockpit. In a typical state-of-the-art aircraft electrical system, such as the stabilator amplifier system installed in the Black Hawk helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft, a division of United Technologies, for the U.S. Army, the system includes a flexible harness or circuit board mounted in a desired location within the aircraft. The flexible harness includes a plurality of receptacles for removably receiving electronic modules which may be plugged into or removed therefrom. Each of these modules includes solid state electronic circuitry and logic therein for performing a desired function. Typically, the harness also includes an input/output connector for connecting the various modules either to the cockpit or to other apparatus in the aircraft (e.g., to control actuators or the like).
Utilizing conventional wiring harness construction, it is necessary to remove the entire stabilator amplifier system from the aircraft and send it to a suitable maintainence or repair depot so as to incorporate new circuitry and/or additional inputs to existing circuitry. This requires that another harness must be installed in the aircraft in place of the harness removed and this installation nessecitates a complete dynamic checkout of the circuitry together with continuity checks. Additionally, operational checks of the circuitry involved in the replacement of the harness is required. Not only are these checkout procedures time consuming and costly, but oftentimes the removal of the entire harness leads to breaks in the conductors or traces in the harness thus again requiring replacement of the harness.
It will be appreciated, however, that upon changing the logic or electronic function of one of the removable electronic modules, a different arrangement of connectors in the harness may be required so as to interconnect the new electronic modules to other electronic modules provided on the harness.